Facebook Failing You? Print Marketing Won’t

by Tim English - VP Superior Business Solutions on March 29, 2018

Facebook’s in the Digital Doghouse. Switch to Print Marketing and Succeed

You’ve heard an endless stream of stories related to Facebook recently. They range from surprise algorithm changes to the uncomfortable “revelation” that Facebook shares ALL of our user data we thought was private with questionable sources and may even be listening in on our conversations. So it’s no surprise that many consumers are trusting Facebook less and spending less time there. That, in turn, is causing many brands to feel they are wasting their time and money on the platform. Entrepreneur and innovator Elon Musk, for one, instructed his marketing department to close down both his SpaceX and Tesla Facebook business fan pages.

Are you among the companies reassessing their investment in Facebook and other social media channels? If so, I’d like to suggest that, instead of a marketing channel that uses you, turn to a more powerful tool that you can use to build your business. I’m talking about print marketing.

Here’s How to Really Reach the Right People

There’s plenty of talk today about millennials and other young people and their fascination with digital and social media. Yes, they do spend significant time there. But as I mentioned in a post last week about millennials and print marketing, social media marketing doesn’t influence their buying much at all. Know what does? Print. The research I cited in that post showed that print marketing vehicles like catalogs, fliers, direct mail, circulars and more were much more effective in motivating millennials to actually buy something.

Perhaps you think a Facebook ad will make your company seem contemporary, and“tied in” with today’s audiences. But not necessarily. Most of them see you as not much more than “spam.” But they respond much more sincerely to marketing messages in printed form. And if you want to get even more excited about what print can do for you, check out the unique new tactics being used to make print marketing even more compelling and effective.

More Than Words on a Page

With a well-designed visual and messaging, a print ad is already a convincing weapon. But those of us in the print industry are coming up with fascinating ways to add even more impact to print marketing. Did you know that Old Spice actually found a way to include a full-sized blazer with Old Spice branding in a print ad? Obviously, it’s not a jacket you’d wear to your sister’s wedding. But the very idea of having a blazer actually “in” the ad is extremely arresting, builds brand awareness and strengthens existing relationships – and certainly created new ones.

Recently, I wrote about how print is working for brand marketing. I talked about examples of unusual and attention-grabbing “extras” that make a print ad or vehicle into something more. Here are just a few from that post.

a solar panel embedded in a magazine ad let you charge your phone with the ad

a pop-up gate-fold magazine ad that put you into a virtual driver’s seat; the “door handles” used to open the ad contained sensors that revealed your rising pulse

a magazine ad that was actually a pregnancy test

Forget “Iffy” – Add Impact with Print Marketing

The value of Facebook and other social media channels is hard to pin down, especially with recent events. But the value of print marketing is hard to deny, and we can help you include it in your marketing efforts. Our expertise includes all types of print marketing, from wide format to 3D printing and everything in between. And our experience can be a big plus in helping you decide which ones will be most effective for you.

Our ISO certification is your assurance that our processes were created and are maintained to deliver customer satisfaction. And our back-to-back wins in the Best of Print and Digital awards suggest that our customers recognize and appreciate the results we help them achieve. Contact Superior today and ask how we can help you create a print marketing campaign that will work for your brand.